Apparatus for making multiple-ply fabrics



May 20, 1930.

W.- C. STEVENS APPARATUS FOR MAKING MULTIPLE FLY FABRICS 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 11, 1922 c. SteVe'ns May 20, 1930. w. c. STEVENS APPARATUS FOR MAKING MULTIPLE PLY FABRICS Filed Deo. 11 1922 4 Sheets-Shee H w n o r t a May 20, 1930.

C: STEVENS APPARATUS FDR MAKING MULTIPLE FLY FABRICS Filed Dec. 11 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3144mm ioz,

William C; Ste/e778 mama;

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May 20, 1930. w. c. STEVENS APPARATUS FOR MAKING MULTIPLE FLY FABRICS Filed Dec. 11 1922 4SheetsShee-t llllll .llllll. llllllllll lllllllll grvuvnto o William dJiev ns time. I

soithat a two ply strip is formed Patented May 20, 1930 WI LIAM G. s'rnvnns, or AKRON, OHIO,

SSIGNOR TO THE FIRESTONE TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO APPARATUS FOR,,MAKI1\TG MULTIPLE-ELY FABRICS Application fil ed December 11, 1922. Serial No. 606,018.

'My invention relates, broadly, to apparatus for use in making a multiple ply, fabric, and it is concerned particularly with apparatus for forming a two ply strip for use in building pneumatic tires. I r

In building tire carcasses, it has been found a particularly advantageous procedure to I combine two, orpossibly more, bias cut widths of cord fabric into a single strip of more than one ply, with the cords of one ply crossing those of another ply, in which relation they are held by thetacky nature of the fabric. These multiple ply strips areifsubsequently stitched upon one another in the usual manner to form the tire carcass. it will be seen, materially decreases the number of stitching operations required under the old method. It also prevents distortion of the cords of each'ply underv the pressure of the stitchers and such distortion frequentlyloccurs when single plies are stitched together. Because of the foregoing advantages arising from the use ofmultiple ply strips, a. better tire can'be produced in an appreciably shorter I have designed an apparatus'for quickly producing a multiple ply strip from asingle strip of tire fabric by folding a width of the fabric to form two or more plies and compact ing the plies thus formed to causethem to adhere together, thus displacing former methods of plying up the fabric.

The particular purpose of my invention is to provide an apparatus for-folding a strip and pressing the folded portions together with a uniform pressure throughout all areas ofthestrip.

,An equally important object is to crease and fold the strip with its edges exactly aligned so that the cords in one ply will cross the cores of the other ply uniformly throughout the strip. i

Another purpose of my'invention is to provide an apparatus for foldingidiiferent widths of fabric strips at their exact centers v I and the edges of the plies are parallel, v a

M invention also comprehends an apparatus for ol ingeistrip so hat it will hang This procedure, I

' drawn on an enlarged scale; i

,end of my invention.

pendent and be prevented from wrinkling as the compacting operation progresses.

Still anotherpurpose of my inventionis to provide in an apparatus of this character,

means for receiving and conveying the strip away from theapparatus in a flat and un wrinkled condition.

Other purposes and advantages compre- I hended by my invention will appear when the following description is read and'uponrefer ence to the accompanying drawings, in which: I Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly broken out, of a preferred embodiment of my invention; k j

Figure 2 is a view illustrating a two ply strip of cord fabric formed through the practice of my invention; t I v V Figure '3 is a transverse sectional; view through Figure 1, taken on the line 33 and Figure 4 is an elevational view of one end of my invention; and Figure 5 is a similar view of the other In the present embodiment of my invention, as illustrated in the drawings,Iprovide a hollow inverted casing 1 which is supported upon any suitable formcof vbase member 2. The casing 1 is formed with a horizontal top portion3 and vertical front and rear walls 4 and 5 respectively. Upon the front wall 4 of the casing 1, a-horizontal table 6 is aflixed inelevated position over 7 which an operator may feed a strip of fabric a 7 in the direction of its width to positionthe longitudinal center of the strip over 'a pair of driven folding and pressing rollers 8 and 9. The rollers 8 and 9 are disposed in side by side relation slightly below the top surface of the table '6 and parallel with the'rear edge thereof. Suitable j ournalbrackets 10 and 11 arising from the portion 3 ofthe casing l support the ends of the rollers 8 and 9. One roller, preferably the forward one 8, is movable laterally of the other roller, and has its ends mounted in spring pressed'slide blocks ,12 whereby it is held at its ends in yielding engagement with the other roller9. At suitable points, intermediate its ends, the roller 8 is engaged by roller bearings 13 which are 1.30

I carried by pivoted brackets 14. The brackets 14 are actuated by'suitably arrangedsprings 15 to force the roller 8 against the roller 9 at points intermediate its length. By means ofthe spring pressed bearings-13 and the slide blocks .12, the roller 8 is yieldingly held, with uniform pressure,throughout'its length against the roller 9 and a uniform pressure 1 l is exerted against all areas of the strip dur e 15 pressure of the roller 8 against the roller 9.;

j vided' intermediate its length to ing thefolding and compacting operation, as

In order to holdthe roller 9 inax ial alignment, suitablel roller bearings 16*areprothe rearside thereof. s v a In'the-rear of therollers 8 and' 9,;a'ser1es of spaced apart parallel rollers 17, preferably four in number, are provided for a purpose presently explained; The rollers 17. are i l fjournaledt orotate parallelwith: the'rollers sands and are mounted upon suitable brack- 7 "isadjustable toward or away from therollers' fhorizonta l shaft 23 is journaled upon the 'ets 18arising from the casing 1. The tops of the rollers 17 are level with the tops of the "rollers 8 and 9 and also with the top of a second horizontal table 19 that is located in the rearofgthe-last roller 17 of the series; A

" gage bar 20 is mounted upon the table. 19.

parallel with the rollers 8 and9. Thebar 2O 8a'nd9 and for'this purpose the tablel19 is slotted, as n21, toreceive bolts 22 carried by the bar; At thegrear of'the table' 19, a

easing lfin'suitable bearings 24 and parallel with the rollers 8, 9 and 17 ]The shaft 23 carries a series of vertically swinging arms 25' that projec-t'forwardly over the roller 9 I and carry upon their forward ends a, Wedge shaped CIBflSlIlg bar 26 arranged to descend between th'elrollers 8 and 9. Adjacent the creasing bar 26,-the arms 25 are connected by 'a fixed shaft-27 which carries an adjustable cam'element 28upon each' end thereof.

' The cam elements 28 in the lowered; position 'of' thearms'25 engage abutments 29 upon the'brackets 10 and 11 respectively. The

function'of the cams 28 and abutments. 29

isyto limit the distance that the creasing bar 26 passes between the rollers Sand 9 and also to align the bar with said rollers in the event of wear. A pair of vertically swinging opperating levers 30 project forwardly from. the shaft 23 at their forwardends support the shaft27. The levers 30. are rocked toward the rol1ers8 and 9 by means "of link connections'Bl connecting their-rear ends Levers 30, together. with arms 25, are-normally held in raised position by counter-:- weights 34 upon the rear ends of the arms 25 bear against for driving thespeed reducing device 35."

The rollers 8, 9 and 17 are rotatediinthe 1 following manner. A speed reducing device 35 is arranged upon the casingll w-ith its 5 shaft 36 aligned with the rollerf9 to WhlCh' l it is connected bya suitableform ofclutch o 37. The roller 9 is driven counter clockwise V and is gearedto the roller 8 at its drlvenend and as illustrated at 38, so that roller 8 is positively drivenin a clockwise direction. I A

sprocket and chain conneetion" 39 extends from one end of the roller 9 to a driving gear 419 at one end of the series of rollers 17; The

i e 4051s arranged to mesh with r g ars .41 and42 fixed respectiv ly uponfthe first andthird rollers 17 of the series,lwhereby said rollers 17 V are'driven clockwise by roller 9; A similar-'sprocket and ehain con-. nection 43 extends from the other end ofthe roller'9 to a driving gear 44 whichmeshes 1 withogears 455 and 46 fixedrespectively upon 5 the ends of the 'second and fourthf'rollers 17.

Thus all of the rollers 17 are driven'clock wise by the roller-9 and the roller 8 is left;

'free for movement toward or away from the roller 9. A suitable motor 47. is. provided 5 In operating my invention, I feed the strip of tire fabric 7.-i n the direction of its width from the table 6 overthe-rollers 8 and 9" and onto the rollers 17 until. its-rear; edge abuts the gage bar 20 as shown in dotted; lines in Fig. 3. Gage bar20,itwillbeunder stood, is firstv setiupon'thetable 19: so that 'q s .the center of the strip, when it is'flattenedoutg f i :will be directly over the bightfof the rollers 1'00. .8 and'9, In thi'sposition of-the strip,'the'rotating rollers 17 smoothor mass out the portion of the strip 7 that passes'thereover and hold one edge thereof against the bar 20. The i i rotating rollers, 17 also servesto retard move; ment of one-half of the stripagainst the pull .ofthe rollers 8 and 9iand thus prevent itfrom wrinkling or buckling prior to its'passage between the latter rollers. Hand lever 33* is 7 now" moved to rock the shaft 32 and throughfllo' the links 31 lower the arms 25 until thecams 28 onthe shaft 27 engage the abutments' 29. In this position of the arms 25,.the creasing 1 bar 26 has creased the strip? along its cen i ter line andtucke'd itfi'nto the bight of the i1 5.

rollers 8 and 9su1ficiently for them to grip its creased'portion. The hand lever 33 is now released and the arms 25. will return to raised 1 3 position, removing the creasing bar". :The 1 rotating rollers 8 and 9 will now feed thestrip 912 therebetween and compact orrpressthetwo half portions together into a two ply; strip. During this operation, the roller'8is pressed I .towa'rd'the roller9 with auniform. pressure V I throughout its entire length so that theatwo with arock shaft32 .uponthe casing "1; A "hand; lever 33, serves .to'rock the shaft 32.

half portions of'the strip Z .arepressedtov gether evenly. and uniformly throughout their I have designed the portion 3 ofthe casing 1 with an aperture 48 directly below the rollers 8 and 9 and a vertical partition 49 in the rear of and below the aperture. Asthe two ply strip is formed by therollers Sand 9, it

hangs pendent therefrom directly over a conveyor belt 50. The conveyor belt may be driven in any suitable manner so that its upper run travels toward the'rear of the machine at a faster speed than that at which the rollers 8 and 9 rotate.

Obviously as the folded edge of the strip engages the conveyor belt 50, it will be pulled beneath the partition 49 as the strip leaves the rollers 8 and 9. This feature serves to flatten out the strip as it is discharged upon the conveyor 50 and to prevent it from becoming wrinkled and injured.

The present disclosure deals principally with an apparatus for making two ply strips, but it will be seen that by a slight modification or re-arrangement of the part of the apparatus, the two ply strip may again be dou bled and a four ply strip formed.

Other modifications are also within the spirit of my invention and it is to be understood that such as are Within the scope of the appended claim are comprehended by the presentdisclosure.

What I claim is:

. Apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, cooperating folding and pressing rollers arranged to feed a strip of fabric therebetween in a downward direction, a vertical plate adjacent the path of movement of the strip, and a horizontal conveyor arranged to pull the lower edge of the strip against the plate before the other edge a of the strip leaves said rollers,

WILLIAM G. STEVENS. 

